THE PRIZE
by whiteknight
Summary: Xander's life is starting to go the way he wants when he wins a Viper but has to drive it from Seattle. Everything goes well ...Untill he takes a turn off to see the giant Twinkie
1. A NEW START

TITLE: THE TRIP

TITLE: THE PRIZE.

AUTHOR: STEPHEN HOWE

E-MAIL: sh01@bigpond.com.au

FEEDBACK: Sure.

DISTRIBUTION: Ask and ye shall receive!

DISCLAIMER: All characters belong to Joss! He created everything! Rated R for violence and adult themes. Set in season 6.B/X pairing Giles is Buffy's watcher who now works for the Council once more. Anya gave her life to save Buffy in the fight against Glory. Dawn is still here and Willow is with Tara. SUMMER'S RESIDENCE. Willow and Tara enter and Dawn smiles at them. " Hey Wicca's!" Willow grins. " Hey key girl! What's the what?" "Buffy's in the kitchen reading a postcard from Xander." She rolls her eyes. " For about the umpteenth time. Just how long does it take to fly to Seattle then drive back anyway?" Willow shrugs. " Maybe there were some other things he had to do. Besides He won a new Viper and the only thing he had to do was fly up and pick up his prize!" Dawn remembers. " Boy is Cindy and the others going to be green when they see me pull up in that! Not that Buffy's going to let him out of her sight again."Tara grins as she grips Willows hand. " It must be love." " Nah! I think it's more like lust." She leans over to them. " She showed me the class photo of the swim team and I had to ask her why Xander was wearing socks in his Speedo's." She looks towards the kitchen. " And do you know what she said?" Willow looks dreamily away. " He wasn't and that the water temperature was quiet chilly so when you factor that in..." Tara pats her arm." We get the picture Wills." Dawn grins." She didn't say that she told me he liked to brag! Wow! And the water was cold you say? WOW!" Tara blushes. " Yes he has some fine... Attributes if you're into that kind of thing." Dawn's grin widens. " Oh I'm in! Boy am I into it.." Buffy walks in and smiles at her friends. " Into what Dawn?" Dawn jumps. " Jeez! We're going to have to get you a bell or something!" " Hey Will, Tara. Into what Dawn?" "Ugh... Witchcraft! I want to delve into the white arts Buffy." " Are you sure you can handle it?" " Given half the chance he wouldn't know what hit him." Dawn daydreams. Willow covers her mouth and coughs out. " Jailbait!" And Dawn blushes. Buffy finally twigs. " Oh this isn't about Harris again is it?" She turns Dawn so she can look her in the eyes. " Dawn He's way to old for you! He's like 25 or something and you're only 14."Dawn snorts. " Gee Buff and you still got into college? He's 21 and I'm 16 that's years older than me and 255 years younger than your first boyfriend." Willow tries to help. " Yeah and look how great that turned out. Goodbye innocents.. Hello scourge of Europe!" Buffy glares at her. " You're not helping Willow!" Tara changes the subject. " So what did Xander write about?" Buffy shrugs. " Oh this and that. How well the car drives." She hands her the card and Willow scans it then pauses. " What does he mean by the back seat is larger than it looked in the glossy?" Buffy blushes then snatches the card back." Uhh.. You know ... He thought you guys wouldn't be able to fit in the back but now he knows you can." Dawn likes to see her squirm. " Ooh Nice save sis! And this wouldn't have anything to do with the reverse Heimlich manoeuvre I saw him doing on you before he left would it?" Buffy looks at Willow. " We were just..." Buffy is trying to think of a reason for what they were doing but couldn't think of one. Willow grins and pats her arm. " It's all right Buff we know... We've known since before you even made the first move what you two were heading for." Buffy grins." We didn't want to tell you until we were sure it wasn't rebound guy hooking up to rebound girl." Willow is serious now. " And?" " Boy let me tell you he can be the most annoying... Loving, careing man I've ever met! Sometimes I just get this urge to cover him double dip chocolate and..." She blushed." Never mind I never even thought that let alone said it." So am I going to have to move out or just get earplugs?" Dawn asks." Cuz this means I can't go over to Xander's place when you want to have ... Talks." Before Buffy can answer the phone rings and she answers it." Oh Hi Giles." Buffy I've just received a phone call from Xander... " Why didn't he ring me?" He said he tried but no one answered.. Anyway he's in a small town on the Oregon Border and he thinks something weird's going on there. " What does he want us to do?" Well from what he's told me I thought it was a job more suited to the local authorities than us. It appears some one is using Native Americans as slaves. " Giles get over here and we can talk it over properly." She hangs up and turns to the others. "Xander's found something wiggee in a small town in Oregon and he want's us to come see it." Dawn asks." What like that two headed cow he saw in Tacoma?" " No something worse. He thinks somebody's using Indians as some kind of slaves." END OF 1 


	2. ROAD TRIP TO HELL

TITLE: THE TRIP

TITLE: THE PRIZE 2

AUTHOR: STEPHEN HOWE

E-MAIL: sh01@bigpond.com.au

FEEDBACK: Sure.

DISTRIBUTION: Ask and ye shall receive!

DISCLAIMER: All characters belong to Joss! He created everything! Rated R for violence and adult themes. Set in season 6.B/X pairing. Giles is Buffy's watcher who now works for the Council once more. Anya gave her life to save Buffy in the fight against Glory. Dawn is still here and Willow is with Tara.SUMMER'S RESIDENCE.Giles sits down and opens one of his books of demonology. " Now I have found a mention of Klamath Falls in Henderson's book of American Folk lore. It appears there was once a tribe of Native American Indians that believed their Shaman could cure all ills by simply taking them onto himself and passing it on to a beast of the woods. Now all this comes from surviving tribes from around the area as the Shamash peoples, as they were known, vanished shortly after white settlers came into the area." Willow snorts. " So we did it to another race of helpless human beings." Giles looks at her." Hardly helpless I would have thought." He reads a part of the legend. " And when the tribe was threatened a dark one was called forth to vanquish their enemies." Buffy looks non-plussed at him. "And the $64,000.00 question is? If they were so tough how come Xander thinks their being held as slaves and why did the book say these Shamrock people became extinct?" " Yes that is the question I would like to have answered as well." Giles asks." That is if it isn't just some excuse for Xander to get Buffy to finish his trip with him." THE TOWN OF TENTON NEAR KLAMATH FALLS Giles pulls up in his BMW and Buffy wakes up from her 'nap'. " Are we here all ready?" She looks at the sky and sees the sun beginning to set. " Well we can let Spike out of the trunk soon."A muffled. " 'Bout bloody time too you wankers!" Emanates from said trunk followed by a thump and a curse. " Next time rent a damn Caddy Will Ya! At least it would have more room than this Euro POS!" Buffy steps out and stretches then Willow and Giles get out." Jeez I've seen bigger towns on the Universal back lot tour!" Willow exclaims. " And this is where Xander said this Shamash tribe was being held?"Giles looks up one way and then the other. " I would have thought he would have at least been here to greet us?" The town's people walked around them as if they didn't exist and when Giles asked where the nearest hotel was you'd have thought he tried to attack the man. Buffy shakes her head. " Welcome to small town USA the un friendliest place on earth." The sun finished setting and Spike pounded on the trunk door. " Okay people I know that great yellow ball of death you people refer to as the sun has gone so how ABOUT LETTING ME OUT OF THIS FREAKING TIN OVEN ON WHEELS!" Giles pops the trunk and Spike jumps out and shrugs into his duster. " So where is the little wanker then?" Buffy grabs him by the shirtfront and begins to crush his voice box. " Now we did you a favor getting you out of Sunnydale before that undead lynch mob dusted your ass. You were brought along as back up so back up and shut the ... Hell up!"" All right sweet cheeks no need for violence! So is he hiding or what?" Giles points to the hotel Xander told him about. " I'll go over and book us in while you three mingle and find out what you can." Giles is on his way to the hotel when he sees a museum of local interests." Mmm Must check that out when I'm done." He nods to the proprietor as he passes and notices a large bruise on his face. When he arrives at the hotel a large man that winced every time he twisted his body greets him. " Hi can I help you?" Giles nods and tells him." I'd like two rooms with two beds in each please."" Yes sir I can let you have the corner rooms over looking Main Street." He turns and gets the keys then turns the check in book towards Giles. " Now if you could just sign in." Giles picks up the pen and sees Xander's name on the previous days sheet. " I was just wondering if Mr. Harris was in his room?" The clerk looks scared. " Uh... Harris you say?" He looks around the room as two men glance over at him." No sir I don't recollect any Mr. Harris staying here." He turns the book around then replaces the keys. " Come to think of it I believe we're totally booked out tonight sir... Ahh.. A convention's in town you know how rowdy they get." " But you had all ready given me the keys!" Giles is ready to demand to see his supervisor when one of the men stands up and leans against the desk." This man causing you any trouble Mr. Johnson?" The clerk backs off, his eyes widening. " No sir Sheriff. It was just a misunderstanding about room availability."Giles is about to complain when the Sheriff rests his hand on his gun and shakes his head. " Best you hop in that fancy car and move along to the next town Mister." Giles narrows his eyes in anger then leaves. As he does he sees the sheriff rip the previous days sheet from the book and throw it in the bin. Giles makes his way back to the car but pauses to have a look in the museum." Hello! Anyone here?" He enters and makes his way to the exhibition of local folklore. He's reading about the local Indian tribes when he sees an old safe with its door blasted open in the corner. As he gets closer he over hears the curator tell some one. " Yes Frank I know I said it would be safe here but it wasn't okay! So freaking sue me!" there is a space where the man must have been listening to the guy on the other end then he blows up. " Listen you horses ass I told you the guy knew more than he let on! But oh no you had to get trigger-happy didn't ya! And now we'll never know what he did with the stone will we!" Giles backs into something and a vase smashes to the ground as he leaves. He races over to the car in a blind panic and gets in just as the others arrive. Buffy notices he's as white as a ghost as she gets in. " Giles you look like immigration just yanked your green card what happened?" He yells at the others. " Get in where going to get some petrol then drive like mad to the next town!" He starts the car as Spike just manages to close the door and he races off to the garage. He jumps out of the car and the service attendant walks up to fill it up." Ahh fill it up please." Buffy is shaking her head muttering about crazy Englishmen when she sees a flash of red from under a tarp. She gets out and makes her way to the shed and is followed by Spike. Buffy looks around and tells him. " Jeez my spider sense is going into overdrive here!" Spike replies. " Yeah something just doesn't feel right." He stops and sniffs the air. " Blood.. Fresh blood! No more than a day old and lots of it." They both sneak into the shed and she lifts up the tarp and Spike whistles." Wow! This looks out of place here. What is it?" Buffy slumps against the wall. " It's a 2001 Dodge Viper in my favorite color and the tags should read BX4EVR." Spike draws the tarp even further back to reveal the number plates then he vamps out. " The tags are right and I found that blood." She looks over to Spike and sees three small holes in the windshield and the driver's side seat soaked in blood. Spike leans in and swipes up some blood with a finger and sucks on it. " AB- Is that..." He sees Buffy nod and Spike growls fleeing the scene. END OF PART 2


	3. THE AWFUL TRUTH

TITLE: THE PRIZE 3

TITLE: THE PRIZE 3

AUTHOR: STEPHEN HOWE

E-MAIL: sh01@bigpond.com.au

FEEDBACK: Sure.

DISTRIBUTION: Ask and ye shall receive!

DISCLAIMER: All characters belong to Joss! He created everything! Rated R for violence and adult themes. Set in season 6.B/X pairing Giles is Buffy's watcher who now works for the Council once more. Anya gave her life to save Buffy in the fight against Glory. Dawn is still here and Willow is with Tara. THE AWFUL TRUTH. Giles was forced out of the way as Spike grabbed the attendant pushing him against the petrol pump and gripping his hand in his vice like grip. " Right sport you have two seconds to tell me where he is. "The man panicked and cried out." Where who is? What are you doing this for?" Giles made to move Spike back away from the attendant but Buffy held him back then turned to face the man. " The owner of the Dodge Viper you have hidden in the service bay where is he?" She looks at the nametag on his coveralls and finishes with. " Look Frank we just want to know where he is." Spike fumes." Screw this!" He pulls on one of Frank's fingers and they all hear a snap and Frank's scream." Now you have 9 fingers LEFT before I start on your knees!" Frank yells out." Okay, Okay! My brother James brought the car in this morning he told me he was at the scene of an auto accident and the owner wouldn't need it anymore. "Spike wiggles Frank's index finger the grips it hard. " And this James lives where?" As they drove to James's home Willow looks over at Spike and tries to pick her words. " Um ... How long has the chip been out?" Giles swerves across the road as he looks at Spike's reaction to Willow's frightening statement. " Since just after we defeated Glory.... ******************** FLASHBACK ****************** Spike was the only one capable of being at Xander's hospital bed. Willow was in the Mental ward trying to get Tara released into her custody while Buffy and Giles were recovering from injuries sustained in the fight. The doctor was trying to chat up one of the nurses instead of checking on Xander's condition. Spike watched as the monitors recorded Xander as he silently slipped from the coma and out of this plain. Spike growled and raced over to the doctor and gripped him by the throat. " Listen you dipshit! I don't care if you bang your way through half the hospital but if he dies... You'll pray for your death! " He threw the doctor against the door and he fell through it with Spike following closely behind. The doctor studied the readouts and shrugged. " We told you his chances were slim when he was first admitted and it appears we were right." He glares at Spike." I don't know what you people were playing at but this man had most of his blood drained and had several knife wounds to his chest..." Spike drove his fist into the Doctors stomach then whispered to him. " This 'man' is worth a hundred of you assholes! He had a future and a long life to look forward to but instead he gave it all up so pricks like you could live out your lives without the fear of hell on earth! " Spike cried a single blood tear as he continued." His girlfriend tried to intervene and had her neck snapped at the whim of a God!" He wiped the tear and stared at it in amazement." Now you will bring him back or I'll lay you at his feet like the dog you are!" Buffy was standing at the doorway, supported by Dawn." Spike let him down. And you." She pointed at the Doctor." I've had just about enough of your profession so if you want to live than I suggest you save Xander!" She moved to the foot of the bed as the doctor moved with sudden vigour and Xander's vital signs improved. When the Doctor had left she gripped Xander's hand and held it to her cheek." Xander... You told me a long time ago that you wouldn't leave me please don't break your word to me." His eyes fluttered and his hand moved to her cheek and caressed it before dropping to her side. He moved closer to her, like a child snuggling up to his mother. Spike watched the look in Buffy's eyes and he put on a brave face as he whispered. " Well I'd rather it was him than Peaches!"**************************** END OF FLASHBACK ******************* " When he came around droopy gave me a look and told me some rot about how he had seen everything then he looked me in the eyes and I swear to you if I had a heart beat it would have stopped there and then." Spike watched Buffy for a reaction. " I tell you the look he gave me was straight from Glory! He told me that if I ever looked at a human's neck he would snap my head off and shi..." Willow jolts in her seat. " I think we get the picture Spike." Spike watched as Frank pointed to an old farmhouse and Giles pulled the rented car into the driveway and up to the front door. Buffy is first out as they see the front door had been ripped of its hinges and smashed into the house. Frank called out. " James? James are you all right?" Spike pointed to Frank. " Stay! Willow you make sure the wanker doesn't go anywhere!" Buffy went first followed by Spike and Giles but the carnage in the wooden house was almost complete." What the hell's holding the roof up?" Buffy asked. They followed the destruction through the house, then outside the back door where they found the wreckage of a car. Spike sniffed the car. " There's blood but whoever was taken was still alive." Giles tells them. " I think we should take Frank to the State troopers and let them handle this from here." Buffy shakes her head. " NO! By the time they tromp around this burg we'll never know what happened to Xander." She looks to Spike and he nods. " We will find him and take him back with us to Sunnydale. One way or another Xander will go home." She turns to Spike." Do you think you can track the thing that did this?" Spike nods and moves off waiving his cell phone." If I find anything I'll buzz Ya." " Meanwhile we should start asking questions around town." Buffy says and Giles tells her. " I'll start by asking the Curator of that Museum a few things." He held Buffy by her arm. " Buffy I think the Sheriff and his deputies are involved as well so be careful." Buffy nods her agreement then checks her watch. " I'll check in with Tara and Dawn so they don't worry." She takes out her cell phone and dials the Magic Shop. " Hi Tara just checking in like we said. Any messages?" Hi Buffy tell Xander Dawn says Hi, and so do I. The only messages are for Giles. The Council have been ringing every hour so I think he should call them..." Okay I'll let him know. How's Dawn treating you? Any damage to the shop yet?" ... Buffy hears Dawn's protests as Tara answers. She's okay.. Just worried about you and Xander.. Look give him our love and hurry back okay I got to go Giles the Council's bugging Tara about you phoning them so could you?" Giles nods as he gets in the car. Willow asks. " So what did you find?"Frank demands." Where the hell is my brother?" Buffy holds up her hand. " The place is trashed and it looks like something ripped apart a car to get at him then dragged him off into the woods." Buffy stopped talking as Frank paled and stuttered. " Kattadhin.." He hit his fist against the back of the seat. " Those damned Indians have done it now! As soon Greg finds out he'll kill them all!"Giles pulls the car over." Okay tell us just what you have been doing to the Shamash and what is this Kattadhin?" Frank is about to deny everything when he hears the roar of some large beast coming out of the woods. He is terrified and begs Giles. " Just drive and I'll tell you everything!" END OF 3 


	4. 

TITLE: THE PRIZE 4 AUTHOR: STEPHEN HOWE

TITLE: THE PRIZE 4AUTHOR: STEPHEN HOWE

E-MAIL: sh01@bigpond.com.au

FEEDBACK: Sure.

DISTRIBUTION: Ask and ye shall receive!

DISCLAIMER: All characters belong to Joss! He created everything! Rated R for violence and adult themes. Set in season 6.B/X pairing Giles is Buffy's watcher who now works for the Council once more. Anya gave her life to save Buffy in the fight against Glory. Dawn is still here and Willow is with Tara. A HISTORY LESSON. Giles pulled the car over and Buffy forced Frank out and into his home, the others followed as she pushed him into a chair. " Now spill before we take you into the woods and let whatever it is have you!" The look of pure panic passed over Franks face and he turned white. " Okay!! I'll talk! I can tell you what I saw and what I was told.... " ************* FLASHBACK************ Frank noticed the new Viper as it purred up to the pumps. He whistled and stroked the bonnet as he walked up to the drivers side." Cool ride man." Xander ran his hands over the steering wheel and grinned. " You bet! It's the only thing I ever won in my whole life and the only thing that would have made it complete was if my.. Is if Buffy could have been with me." He mentally kicked himself for his correction. All the times he wanted to call her his girlfriend and couldn't and now he was pretty sure she was, he didn't want to jinx it by saying it out a loud." Still I hope she'll come with me on my next trip." Xander pops the fuel cap and tells Frank to fill it up. He gets out of the car and stretches, taking in the small township and the seemingly friendly people." So.. Just how do I get back on the interstate?" Frank grins as he finishes filling up the car." Yeah I didn't think you were here for the sights. We don't get many visitors around these parts since the freeway was built." He points back the way Xander drove in and tells him." Make a left at Dougherty then a right by the Museum and that should put you on Claremont. Then follow that till you see the signs." Xander pays him and gets back in the car. " Say is there any place decent to stay? I might wait till the morning before I set off again." Frank tells him and Xander waives as he drives off. He checks into the hotel Frank recommended, also the only one in town, and as he signed in he noticed a man in a wheelchair being pushed up to the single old fashioned elevator. He stared at the man mainly because he stared at him; he noticed he looked a lot like the gas station attendant. Then the man pushing him told him. " Don't worry James the Sheriff's gone for her now he should be back soon and you'll feel much better." Xander watched the elevator take them up then he took a walk to the only restaurant he could find for dinner. As he sat down to his meal he found himself watching the townsfolk walk by the window when he saw three men man handling a girl into the hotel. His first impulse was to check it out but then realised this wasn't Sunnydale and he didn't know what was what around here. Besides one of the men was, what looked like the town Sheriff, so he figured what ever it was it had to be legal.Just as he started eating the apple cobbler he ordered for desert there was a flash of light from the corner room of the hotel followed by an almost unheard, scream of a woman. Xander dropped his spoon and looked around the room to see if any one else had heard it but no one moved, they just went on like nothing happened. He wiped his mouth with a napkin then paid his bill and raced over to the hotel. As he arrived he was shocked to see the man called James walking out of the hotel with the Sheriff and one of the other men. James glanced at him as he passed Xander and smiled but all Xander could do was watch him walk down the street. He then went into the hotel and made his way to the room he had seen the glow coming from. He walked down the passageway and he heard the sounds of a woman crying followed by. " Shut up bitch before I give you something to cry about! " Xander pushed at the slightly ajar door and saw the man clip the girls legs into the wheel chair." James really appreciates what you did for him and I'm sure given time you'll get used to being a cripple." Now Xander had a better look he could see the girl was a Native American and no older than Dawn but what he saw next sickened him to his stomach. The man's hand had brushed against her breast as he tried to force her into the char and he suddenly stopped and leered at her chest then looked into her eyes. " Well it looks like you've growed up some since I last saw you." She whimpered as he let his hands roam across her body. " Yeah all grown up and ready for market. " He glances at the bed then licks his lips before unclipping her legs and pulling her out of the chair." We shouldn't let you spend the rest of your life not knowing the joys of being a woman now should we?" Xander saw red and charged into the room, knocking the man on his ass. He then kicks the mans head with his boot." Get up you son of a bitch and I'll knock you back to the 17th century!" Xander made sure the man wouldn't jump back up then helped the girl into the chair." Look are you all right? Cuz I could have sworn I saw you walk in here." The girl nods and whimpers. " My name is Monashtai but my friends call me Pony." She looks over at the man and lets out a sob." You shouldn't have got involved! Now they will hunt you down because you have seen." Xander smiles. " Hey trouble is my middle name... Well actually it's Lavelle but I kinda prefer it if you didn't spread that around." He begins to push her out of the room but hears the man struggle to get up. " Stay here this shouldn't take long." He tells her then walks over to her assailant." You know I always thought Demons were the worst scum on earth but, thanks to you, I know something worse." He struck the man with all the force and anger he had and was amazed to see him fly across the room and through the bathroom door coming to rest against the toilet seat. He looked at his knuckles and said. " Wow! I guess six years fighting demons paid off at last." He went outside and began to push the girl to the elevator. When it arrived downstairs he calmly walked her out side then ran as fast as he could pushing her all the way till he figured they were out of sight. " Now where can I take you and do they have a doctor?" She shakes her head." I will be fine in a few days; I always am, but you.. You must get out of town before they discover I'm gone!" Xander shakes his head. " You mean they've done this before? " She nods." Right! Where's your home? Once I've taken you there I'll go fetch the Feds and they can introduce these Cro-Magnon freaks to 21st Century justice." She smiles. " I live on the reservation and they come for my people whenever they need somebody cured." She points east and tells him. " It's about twenty miles that way." Xander pats his pocket and feels his keys then tells her. " If I lift you up will you be okay?" She grins and holds her arms out, wrapping them around his neck as he lifts her up. " My car's around the corner I'll get you home then I'll keep my promise." SHAMASH RESERVATION. The old man grips Xander's arm and shakes it. " I wish to thank you for what you have done for Pony but this will mean much trouble for you." Xander grins." Don't worry Chief I'm used to trouble. Now just what the hell's going on here?" The chief motions for Xander to sit down." 135 years ago white men passing through here on their way to dig for yellow metal in California saw one of our people cure a hunter that was injured in a hunt." The Chief held up his arms to the sky. " They were told by our shaman that we were guided by the sky stone to this place and since then it has given us the power to take on someone's injury, relieving them of the injury. And after a while we too were free of it and of all other disease including death. But the white men took the stone and now they make us do whatever they want and we have no choice but to do it." The chief was amazed that Xander didn't ridicule him." Huh you look like you believe me?" Xander shrugged." Why not? Where I come from this would be considered as normal." He picked the cell phone from his pocket and dialled Giles." I have some friends that can help." He holds his hand over the phone. " So do you know where they keep this stone?" The chief nods. " In a safe in the Museum but they have it guarded and it will be hard to get it back. We have tried ever since they took it." Xander grinned as the number connected. " I'm in construction and I have... Some knowledge of explosives.." He removed his hand. " Hello Giles? Yeah it's me Xander look I'm in a small town near Kalmash falls and there are some people that really need our help."....... END OF 4 


	5. 

TITLE: THE PRIZE 5

TITLE: THE PRIZE 5

AUTHOR: STEPHEN HOWE

E-MAIL: sh01@bigpond.com.au

FEEDBACK: Sure.

DISTRIBUTION: Ask and ye shall receive!

DISCLAIMER: All characters belong to Joss! He created everything! Rated R for violence and adult themes. Set in season 6.B/X pairing Giles is Buffy's watcher who now works for the Council once more. Anya gave her life to save Buffy in the fight against Glory. Dawn is still here and Willow is with Tara. SECRETS REVEALED AND TRUTHS UNEARTHED. Buffy grabs him by the shirt. " Then what?" Frank tells her. " That's all I know! I swear to god! He did something later that night and all hell broke loose James, Vince and some of his deputies went out searching for him then James drove his Viper back to the garage and told me to shut up about it." Giles clicks his fingers. " The curator at the museum was telling someone they were trigger happy and they should have found out where he hid it before..." Just then his cell phone rang and Giles took it out. " God damn piece of... I wish I'd never bought the blessed thing... Hello?" Mr. Giles? It's Quinten Travers here I've been trying to contact you for days! .." I'm sorry but we have a situation here and.." The boy.. Harris is still with your group? " Xander? Yes he is why?" Well it appears he's not as useless as we first believed. According to our resources he's a vessel and the last of his kind. Are you still there Rupert? Do you understand what this means? ..." Yes Travers I fully understand what it means but it appears we maybe too late." He moves away from the others." I believe he has been murdered and we are in the process of bringing his murderers to justice." Listen Rupert you and your 'group ' are not the police you will cease your actions and return to your... Giles thumbed the off switch and threw the phone into the car. "I suggest we go back to town and try to find out what's going on then take Frank here to the State authorities." They agreed and Giles drove them back into town, but before they arrived Buffy tied Frank up and told Willow to watch him. They parked out of the centre and walked into town. THE MUSEUMGiles and Buffy walk in like big city visitors and wait till they can see the Curator enter his office. Buffy opens the door and walks in followed by Giles." I'm sorry this is a private area you'll have to..." Giles shuts and locks the door behind him. " Hey do you know the penalty for this?" Buffy stalks up to him and pushes him back into the chair. " No, but my guess is it's a lot less than kidnapping and slavery!" She lifts his nametag and tells him. " So, John, tell me what you did with Xander and maybe I'll let you give yourself up to the police." He snorts. " What makes you think I did anything?" " Oh, the way your heart sped up when I mentioned the police and the fact you're sweating like a pig when it's almost winter." She grabbed the back of his head and slammed it into the table. " Now I'm through playing nice! Where is Xander?" He finally broke. " I had nothing to do with it I swear to god!" She relaxed her grip and he told her." I don't know what they did with him but the man you want to talk to is Sheriff Jones and his deputies." " And they are where?" Buffy asks. John shrugs. " They got a report that someone grabbed Frank from the gas station and they're looking for the car." Buffy looks at Giles." Willow!" Frank is still shaking as the Sheriff cuts through the bonds. " You were lucky we saw the car Frank. What the hell did they want and where are the other three?" Frank looks over at the two deputies as they stand over Willow as she struggles against her handcuffs and gag. Frank looks towards the town centre and tells him. " They went to see John in the museum but Vince something's got James! We went his place and it looks like a tornado had hit it. Then the weird lookin guy took off into the woods to follow it." "Bill, Jim why don't you take the little lady and go look for this guy." He grins at them and they leer at Willow. " Oh we'll search Vince we'll search REAL hard!" The two deputies pick Willow up and throw her in the back off the patrol car and drive off. As they get near the Woods Bill turns to face Willow." While we're out here we might as well show her the sights eh Jim." They both laugh as Jim drives deep into the woods then pull up in a clearing. Jim removes her gag after he takes out his gun." One word out of place and you end up like him!" She glares at him as they drag her to the centre of the clearing. " What have you done with Xander? Take me to him NOW!" Jim laughs. " Okay honey.. Look down at your feet." Willow looks down, realises what she's standing on and screams. Buffy and Giles are walking the curator to the car when they see the sheriff driving it towards the museum." Buffy drags John into an alley and warns him not to do anything stupid. She turns to Giles." I hope Spike made it undercover before the sun came up!" She looks to John." Do you know you have some beast roaming around your forest?" John looked at her and sneered until he saw she wasn't joking." They used the stone to call Kattadhin!" Giles moved closer to him. " Kattadhin? What is that?" " To some a legend created by drunken Indians. To those that know, it may just be the beginning of the end of European domination of the America's!" He looks at Giles." The first ones that created life also created Kattadhin forming it from every animal in creation. Legend has it that during the ghost dances of the 1900's the core of tribal shaman gathered and fore told of the coming of the Kattadhin. And with it's coming the rivers would run red with white man's blood till they were driven from the First Peoples land!" " Why did they call it?" Giles asks.He looked down. " You have to understand I only arrived here last year as part of my studies on the First Peoples. I first found out about what the towns people were doing when a car struck down my daughter and the doctors said she would never recover from the coma. But after a visit from one of the natives she was up and running around like nothing had ever happened." He looks at Giles. " You know about their healing powers? Well we controlled them, held them as virtual slaves, by keeping their most revered icon under lock and key. But that damned young idiot broke in and stole it, I still can't figure out how he did it, they chased him all the way to the reservation and we thought he still had it but when the Sheriff caught up with him this Xander must have hidden it. But know I guess he must have given it to the Indians." Buffy thinks she knows what happened next but she has to know dreading the answer she asks. " And what happened then?" " From what I can gather he pissed Vince off so much he lost it and ... Emptied his gun into him." John shrinks back as Buffy losses it. She starts to run towards the front of the alley. " Buffy! " Giles calls out." Remember he's not a demon and if you kill him you'll be worse than Faith!" Buffy stops and he can see her body shake as he walks up to her. She turns and he sees her cry." But I loved him! He waited for me for so long and now I can finally say the words he can never hear me!" Giles hugs her and whispers." Yes he can Buffy. If he has crossed over I can't help but think he's looking down on us with love in his heart." END OF 5


	6. 

TITLE: THE PRIZE 6

TITLE: THE PRIZE 6

AUTHOR: STEPHEN HOWE

E-MAIL: sh01@bigpond.com.au

FEEDBACK: Sure.

DISTRIBUTION: Ask and ye shall receive!

DISCLAIMER: All characters belong to Joss! He created everything! Rated R for violence and adult themes. Set in season 6.B/X pairing Giles is Buffy's watcher who now works for the Council once more. Anya gave her life to save Buffy in the fight against Glory. Dawn is still here and Willow is with Tara. REVELATIONS.Willow looks down at the mound of dirt she's standing on and her mind refuses to take in what her eyes see. Bill comes up from behind her and wraps his arms around her, his hands roughly grab at her ripping the blouse from her body. Her eyes turn dark black. " Hecate work thy will let the...Ugh!"Jim hits her with the gun leaving her dazed and confused. Her body's on autopilot as she tries to fend off the two men as they try to rape her. Jim has managed to reach his goal when, suddenly, he's pulled off and flung against a nearby tree. Bill looks past Willow and his eyes grow wide as he pulls out his side arm and fires at the hideous beast. Willow hears a bear like roar and snaps back to reality. When she sees Bill being yanked into the air she almost looses it completely. She watches the creature tear and rend the man until it's nothing more than bloody rags at it's feet before she sees it turn to Jim. " No.. No get back! " He pleads with Willow. " For the love of God help meeeAGHHHHNONONOARGH!" Then silence as, with the snapping of its jaws Bills head vanishes in a spray of blood. Her mind desperately searches for some spell that will get her safely out of this situation but her mind is numb with fear and her mind decides to escape. Her body falls bonelessly to the ground as the fearsome beast bends down and sniffs her near naked body before revealing a set of razor sharp teeth covered in blood. THE ALLEY. Buffy wipes away a tear and turns to John. " You're going to tell the State police everything you know and expose everyone that was involved in Xander's murder... Wait. " She turns to Giles. " We don't know he's dead! We only have the word of this guy and he was told Xander was dead." Giles leans into John. " Where, exactly, did the Sheriff say they buried his body?" John, fearful of the small blonde girl, leads them to his car and drives them out of town. They drive for a while, John watching her every move while Buffy just stares out the window her eyes glazed and her expression blank. They come to the turn off and drive up the dirt track until they come to the cruiser. Buffy takes a wheel brace from the boot of the Curators car while Giles purloins the shotgun from the rack in the police cruiser and pumps a round into the breach." Ready?" He asks her. Buffy thumps the brace into the palm of her hand. " I want them to resist!" The walk as quietly as they can into the clearing but the sight that greets them causes John to throw up into the bushes. Even Giles and Buffy, hardened as they were, were tempted to join him as they crept forward to the butcher's yard. Giles stops and bends over to examine a footprint. He clears some grass and leaves from it and looks puzzled. " What is it Giles?" Buffy asks. Giles shrugs and calls for John to come and give them his opinion. Giles uses a twig to outline the print while Buffy examines the area." See this? This has all the signs of being a ground dweller yet the apposing toe shows that it arboreal!" Buffy picks up some rags by a mound and asks." So what does that mean for the terminally dumb amongst us?" Giles stands." Well what it means Buffy is that it's an impossible mix of ground and tree dweller. But the huge hooked claw at the back of the foot would make it almost impossible...." Giles looks at a tree and sees claw marks ascending to the top." Kattadhin! Dear god it's true!" He looks at the others. " Can't you see? It's a mixture of every animal; both tree dweller and ground pounder. Hell it wouldn't surprise me if it had wings and gills!"Buffy cries out." Giles!" He turns and sees her holding a torn blouse." This is Willow's!" She looks around and finds the dress then realises the same thing Willow did when she saw the mound. Buffy drops the torn clothes and backs away from the grave, her body shaking. She points to the dirt mound and Giles makes his way to it. He bends over and starts to scoop the loose dirt away to reveal a badly mutilated face. He then covers it up and looks at Buffy." I promise you Buffy we will find who ever did this and make them pay! But first we need to find Willow and make sure she's okay. Then we need to get Spike and get the hell out of this damned place!"She kneels by Xander's last resting place and runs her hand over it. " I knew this would happen... I told you it was dangerous loving me." She lies down on the dirt and hugs it, her tears beginning to flow." I promise never to rest until I can sprinkle the ashes of whoever did this over your grave my love." She stands up and takes the shotgun from Giles. " We'll kill this thing then I'm going to make this Sheriff wish he'd never been born!" They begin to follow John through the woods as he tries to track the monster to its lair. Giles tells Buffy." We didn't find her body and there's no blood on her clothes so my best guess is that, judging by the remains of those two men back there, they brought her here to kill her and decided to.. You know first. Then, for some reason, this Kattadhin killed them and took Willow away with it." John held up a hand and tells them." I think we're close." Meanwhile Willow is starting to regain conscious, she struggles at first then realises the monster has gone. She looks around and starts to get up. She sees jeans and a shirt have replaced her clothes, as she gets up and walks around the room Willow can hear people talking in a language she can't understand in the next room. Willow, cautiously, opens the door and an old man smiles and becomes her in." Come in little one we have been waiting your awakening." Willow looks nervously around the room and enters. " Hello I.. Uh don't know how I got her but thanks for the clothes and getting me away from that creature." Pony walks up to her and offers her a chair. " We did not rescue you from Kattadhin he brought you here." The old man looks at her. " You must be special for him to have permitted you to live. Are you from the town or merely passing through?" She looks at him and says. " No I'm here with my friends. Another friend, Xander, rang us asking if we could come and help your people. He said you were being held slaves by the townsfolk and he was going to do what he could while we travelled here. "Willow had seen the way Pony had reacted to Xander's name and turned to her. " You know Xander? Please tell me what happened." Pony turned to her Chief and he nodded. " Alexander Harris was different from any white man I have seen. Without knowing why or caring about my colour he saved me from being raped by one of the townspeople. When we told him of our troubles he didn't hesitate he just worked out a way to help free us." Tears began to fall from her eyes as she told her story. " I was with him when he stole back our Sky stone and..." She straitened in her chair as if drawing pride and strength from her tale." And I was there when the Sheriff and his mencaught him....." END OF 6 


	7. PONY'S TALE

TITLE: THE PRIZE 7

TITLE: THE PRIZE 7

AUTHOR: STEPHEN HOWE

E-MAIL: sh01@bigpond.com.au

FEEDBACK: Sure.

DISTRIBUTION: Ask and ye shall receive!

DISCLAIMER: All characters belong to Joss! He created everything! Rated R for violence and adult themes. Set in season 6.B/X pairing. Giles is Buffy's watcher who now works for the Council once more. Anya gave her life to save Buffy in the fight against Glory. Dawn is still here and Willow is with Tara. PONY'S TALE.Pony sits in front of Willow and begins to tell her tale. Her sadness passed from her face as she remembered Xander." He has this way of making you feel like you're the only one in the world. He asked for some basic household cleaners and a cooking pot then proceeded to 'bake a cake' as he called it. "******************* FLASHBACK ****************************Xander and Pony were standing on the roof of the museum waiting for the tribes diversion to kick in when there was a hooping and a hollering from down the street. Xander pried open the skylight and listened for his opportunity. One of the guards walks over to the window and cracks open the blinds." It's a couple of drunken Indians whooping it up over by the hotel…Jesus!" There was an intense flash as one of Xander's 'cakes' lit up the night. The deputy draws his gun." Come on before they burn down the town!" Xander waits till Pony gives him the signal and he drops the rope down to the safe and slides down the rope. He takes out a drill from his backpack and drills several holes in the casing of the safe door before he spoons in some of his mixture. He waits then inserts a fuse and places a heavy blanket over the safe. He then moves some heavy furniture and lays it on the safe before signalling to Pony. She jumps up and runs to the other side of the roof then returns. " They're off chasing Grey wolf and kicking horse."Xander tells her. " Move back I'm about to light the fuse." He then whispers to himself." Goddess of luck and overseer of dumb people please be awake tonight!" He strikes a match and lights the fuse. It hisses and fizzes away into the pile of furniture then a muffled boom was barely heard. Xander moves the furniture out of the way and lifts the blanket to one side. The safe door swings wide open and Xander grins as he shuffles through the contents until he finds a box. He opens it and sees the glowing piece of melted rock." Hmm.. Looks like a dumb rock to me." He places it in his pack and runs to the rope, shimmying up it and on to the roof. Pony asks." Did you get it?" Xander nods then she hugs him and he feels her sigh in his arms. Xander shakes his head. " Why is it I don't get this reaction from Buffy?" He grins." Oh yeah I do. Now." He grips her hand." Come on we have to get out of here before they get back." They clamber down the drainpipe and make their way to his car. Xander throws the pack on the back seat and gets in. He starts the car up and drives away from the alley. As they make their way out of town Xander sees the men run from the museum and look at his car before getting in the cruiser. Xander stepped on the gas. " Crap! We've been sprung hold on!" Xander led them a merry chase but when the second and third car joined in he knew their time was short. He floored the car and drove like a madman until there was a large gap between them. He reached into his pack and took out the box then went to remove the stone. As his fingers touched it he yelled out in pain and the car swerved all over the road. Pony was terrified, she had never seen or heard of this happening before. Xander pulled up and they watched as the stone was absorbed into his skin. " What the freaking hell's going on?" Xander was sweating and his pulse races as the stone sinks into his very soul. Xander looks in the mirror and tells her. " Get out now. I'll keep them off your back for as long as possible." He smiles at her. " With the stone gone your people are free from the towns grip. Tell Grey Wolf when my friends arrive to help them all he can." Pony nods then runs off up the hill and she squats watching the red Viper take off. She holds a hand to her mouth when she sees the Sheriffs Bronco intercept Xander from the other way.She runs across the hill to see what will happen and watches as the Sheriff points his gun at Xander. " Get out of the damn Car!" Xander holds up his hands and asks. " What's the matter officer? I wasn't speeding or anything else wrong." " Where's the stone?" When Xander looked puzzled Vince cocks his revolver." I'll give you till three to tell me." " Tell you what? I was just out for a night drive and you redneck hillbillies start screwing around." Xander remembers the Initiative ID he kept as a memento from when he and Buffy snuck in to their headquarters and says." Now I'm going to reach for my ID Sheriff and then, if you know what's good for you, you'll back off and let me through." Xander takes the plastic ID from the back of his wallet and holds it out. " I'm with the FBI. I'm here to look into suspected hate crimes against the local natives. Now you people are in deep shit…" Vince's face turns red and he panics. " Ah Fuck this!" He fires six shots into the car. Three smash through the front windscreen and hit Xander square in his chest. Pony screams but the noise doesn't carry to the men or they were to shocked to care." Jesus Christ Vince!" Vince holstered his gun and shouted at them. " Just shut up and take him out to the clearing." Vince picks up Xander's wallet and looks at the ID." Shit!" He runs a hand through his hair then tells them. " He wasn't here! He never made it this far and you know nothing!"Pony ran as fast as she could back to the village and told Grey Owl what had happened." We owe Xander more than we can ever repay. He not only freed my people he gave us hope. Hope that there is a chance in the white mans world for us and that we will be treated with honour and with equal rights." END OF 7 


	8. REVELATION IN THE FOREST

TITLE: THE PRIZE 8

TITLE: THE PRIZE 8

AUTHOR: STEPHEN HOWE

E-MAIL: sh01@bigpond.com.au

FEEDBACK: Sure.

DISTRIBUTION: Ask and ye shall receive!

DISCLAIMER: All characters belong to Joss! He created everything! Rated R for violence and adult themes. Set in season 6.B/X pairing. Giles is Buffy's watcher who now works for the Council once more. Anya gave her life to save Buffy in the fight against Glory. Dawn is still here and Willow is with Tara. THE FORREST. Buffy watches the sun go down as they loose the trail they had been following. Giles kneels and tries to find another print but." It's as if it just vanished?" Buffy looks around. " Giles from the thing you described it should be heavier than a tank and we've lost its trail?"John tells them." The Shamash village is somewhere around here maybe there's someone there that could help us?" Giles pushes his glasses back up the bridge of his nose. " If what you say is correct surely they would be the last people to talk to?"Buffy looks at Giles and he can see the anger building behind her eyes. " I don't care what you do! I say let this thing have the lot of them.. But the Sheriff is mine!"Giles tries to calm her down. " I know you're angry Buffy but we can't just let this creature run rampant! What if innocent..." She cut him off with a glance and his soul quaked at the venom he saw in her words." These 'people' used and abused other humans just because they had the power to do so! Then when someone stepped in and tried to stop them they..." She almost lost control and began to cry again but her resolve stood fast." They murdered him and hid the evidence in the ground like the dogs they are!" The sound of hands clapping drew their attention towards a man standing in the shade of some trees. " Very nice Slayer! I really got into the whole' angel of vengeance ' thing you've got going there but what about Xander? Do you think he would want you to turn into another Faith? And what of this thing when it's finished snacking on the town do you think it will stop there?" She glares at him." The Sheriff and his men must pay!" Spike flicks his cigarette away then moves towards the group. " Oh don't you worry pet I have plans for the good Sheriff! Plans that would make Angelus puke!" He took the shotgun from Buffy and gripped her shoulder. " Don't worry Slayer you will find Willow, stop this Godzilla Wanna be and I'll take care of Sheriff Vince and then we can take Xander's body back to SunnyHell. Then maybe I can take over from where droopy left off? " " Spike, Willow's dead! The creature tore her up with the other two deputies!"He looked at her." Where did you get this? Those two heroes were trying to rape her but I couldn't break my shade to help. Then the creature from the slack lagoon came rolling in and played mix and match with their bodies, but it picked Red up like a plaything and carried her off." He looked from Buffy to Giles. " I thought you knew?" Giles looks down the track the creature had vanished on. " Why would it rip those two apart yet let Willow live?" Spike shrugs then places the barrel across his shoulder. " Give up watcher, maybe he fancies redheads? Or maybe he wanted a snack when it wakes up."Giles turns to reply but before he can an arrow pins Spike to a tree." Jeez! What is it with these people and shooting arrows into me?" " Nobody move or the Billy Idol clone gets a one way ticket to Dust city!" Spike yells into the darkening forest. " Hey! I'll have you know he copied me.. Smart ass!" SHAMASH VILLAGE.Willow is talking to Pony about the history of her people." We arrived with the people called First ones to use words for power. They were the descendants of the Annassasi." Willow looks quizzically at her. " We were taught they disappeared from their homes in New Mexico hundreds of years before white invasion."Pony smiles. " Ah yes white mans history of the red man. If it weren't so pandering I'd scream! " Pony watches as Grey Owl tells Willow. " The first tribes to talk of the Annassasi told the white man they came from the stars and returned to them many centuries before the white man even dreamt of new lands to conquer. The Annassasi left behind a legacy that became their legend and a relic that became our millstone." The wizened old man raised his arms and began his tale. " The last of those that were there to see the Annassasi leave were given a stone that came from their home. As soon as the first of the Shamash people touched the stone they were instantly fused with the stone. This is where we received our gift, and our curse." Pony asks Willow. " Alexander, was he descended from any of the first nations?"Willow thought for a minute then shrugged. " I really can't say Pony, he never talked about his family." She blushed as she recalled." I know they weren't very good parents... He did say once about a dream he had when the first... I mean he had a dream about his father telling him he was the last of his line and the line ends with him." Pony blanches and Grey Owl clasps her knee." You were not to know little one." Grey Owl turns to Willow." Your young friend appears to have been the last in a long line of Shaman vessels." He nods." It is said that at one time there were a tribe of Annassasi decedents living, hidden, amongst the white eyes. They took on their form and even hid their offspring so well even they didn't know what they were till they came of age." " Just what is a vessel? The people we work for told a friend that they suspected Xander was something more than we could imagine." Willow felt the track of a tear as it slid down her cheek at the memory of her childhood friend. Grey Owl turned to Pony and nodded.Pony stood up and held out her hand. " Come there is something we should show you." She bowed to Grey Owl then guided Willow down the hallway and up to a room that emitted a green glow through the gaps in the door. Pony stopped and thought how to give her thoughts life." Know that we did not have any idea this would happen. We only tried to help one that gave his all for our people and paid the ultimate price. Had we known we would have told him not to touch the crystal." Pony opened the door and Willow's scream cut through the peaceful night.END OF 8 


	9. SHOWTIME IN SHAMASH

TITLE: THE PRIZE 9

TITLE: THE PRIZE 9

AUTHOR: STEPHEN HOWE

E-MAIL: sh01@bigpond.com.au

FEEDBACK: Sure.

DISTRIBUTION: Ask and ye shall receive!

DISCLAIMER: All characters belong to Joss! He created everything! Rated R for violence and adult themes. Set in season 6.B/X pairing. Giles is Buffy's watcher who now works for the Council once more. Anya gave her life to save Buffy in the fight against Glory. Dawn is still here and Willow is with Tara. OUTSKIRTS OF SHAMASH VILLAGE.Spike tries to duck out of sight while Buffy and Giles arguing distract the two tribesmen. Kicking horse tells him. " I really wouldn't want to be out here tonight if I were you Deadboy!" Spike growls." Why do you keep calling me that?" Kicking horse smiles. " Well it could be because you're a vampire. You know, blood sucking creature of the night.." Buffy asks. " How do you know that?" Kicking Horse shrugs." We heal the living so don't you think we'd be able to sense the dead?" Spike looks angrily at him. " You're interfering with my plans for the good Sheriff!" He stops." Look let me go… I'll off your worst enemy then leave. Simple, smooth and yet leaves you wanting more! Kinda like a smore."Kicking Horse shakes his head. " Sorry Blondie but the Sheriff and his men are already spoken for." Giles turns to him." Look I know your people have been hard done by but killing all white men is just wrong! There's been good amongst our people just like there's evil amongst yours. The way of life for some of your race was not too dissimilar to ours. The strong taking from the weak!.. One tribe pushing another off of its land, forcing it in turn to force another weaker tribe from their land."Kicking Horse holds up his hand. " I know all that! But we have tried to do things your way but all we have seen is how your people can use us. Make us their own personal immortality card!" John speaks up. " I'm sorry for what they, and I, have done to your people. Before I left I phoned the State Troopers and faxed the F.B.I. with all the relevant information. Don't worry I never told anyone about your powers, I simply told them of what the Sheriff did to Mr. Harris." Buffy turned to him. " And what was their reaction?" John told her. " They were sending their best people to investigate the crime. The FBI agent also stated they have a mandate to crack down on all hate crimes Mr. Horse." Willow's scream brought the talk to a halt and Buffy ran off towards the sound. Kicking Horse took off after her in close pursuit, closely followed by the others. Kicking Horse pumps a round into the shotgun and points it at Buffy's back. " Hold it right there Miss! I'd hate to shoot but if you don't stop I will!" Willow steps out of the lodge, her face pale and sweaty." Kicking Horse put the gun down and move away from her!" Pony shouts to him. The group can hear the sound of a guttural breath being in hailed and exhaled. The young Indian warrior turns his head and sees Kattadhin standing just to one side of the camp." She's endangering the lives of everyone here!" He shouts. Pony calmly tells him. " Throw the gun towards it and move away from the strangers… Now!" He throws the gun away and moves, open handed, towards Pony and the gathering of his fellow tribesmen. Spike raises a hand." Ugh excuse me but I'm not with these people so do you mind if I join you?" Willow shakes her head. " Spike it won't hurt you as long as you show no harm towards Buffy." Giles looks over at Willow. " Why does it have such an interest IN buffy?" As Giles said this the creature made to stand close to Buffy separating her from the others. It tilted its behemoth head to one side as if trying to remember her. She freaked when its snout came within inches of her face, and then grimaced as its tongue lapped at her cheek. She held her arms in a fighting stance but knew if it chose to she would just be another snack. Giles makes to go to her aid but Willow motions him to stay. Pony tells it." Kattadhin! She is not yours. She belongs to the other." She points to the edge of the camp. " Go now and guard us from interruption." The beast lets out a blood curdling growl then does at is told and moves to the outer edges of the camp. Willow helps Buffy and the others into the lodge and tells the others to wait as she leads her down the hallway. Buffy grips her arm." We thought you were dead Will!"She smiles and touches the door with the palm of her hand, as she turns her head to look at Buffy she chokes back a sob." You must have faith Buffy… Faith and hope that this all comes out right." She pushes the door open and they are bathed in an eerie green light. Buffy places a hand to her open mouth. " Dear GOD!" Willow looks forlornly at Buffy and tells her." They tried to help him like the others but he was something more than any of us ever thought." Her hand finds Buffy's and she can feel her tremble. " I've tried everything I can, even the darker arts, but nothing seems to work." Buffy tries to walk towards the pulsing ball of energy but something pushes against her. She tries with all her Slayer strength to get in but the barrier rebuffs her every attempt." I think you need to talk to Grey Owl. He will explain things better than I." END OF 9 


	10. AN ENDING TO THE MATTER

TITLE: THE PRIZE 10 AUTHOR: STEPHEN HOWE

TITLE: THE PRIZE 10AUTHOR: STEPHEN HOWE

E-MAIL: sh01@bigpond.com.au

FEEDBACK: Sure.

DISTRIBUTION: Ask and ye shall receive!

DISCLAIMER: All characters belong to Joss! He created everything! Rated R for violence and adult themes. Set in season 6.B/X pairing. Giles is Buffy's watcher who now works for the Council once more. Anya gave her life to save Buffy in the fight against Glory. Dawn is still here and Willow is with Tara. THE END OF THE TALE.Giles stands up as Buffy staggers into the main room. She looks gaunt and haggard as she asks Willow. " It is him isn't it Willow?" Willow nods then motions to Grey Owl who commences to tell of their deeds." Pony ran back to the village and told us of what happened. Our young warriors, hot bloodedly, wanted to return to the old ways and kill the men that took the life of one who's only crime was that of caring for our plight. Instead I sent Pony and Kicking Horse to bring his body to us for a proper burial." He looks at the gang." You see even we cannot bring the dead back to life. That power remains in the realms of the gods themselves." Buffy and Willow are almost in tears as they realise this is what Xander had done countless times before. He put his life at risk for others not even telling them what he had done or the danger he had been in. Now it seemed likely that he was gone forever. Buffy's voice almost cracked as she begged him. " What did you do with his remains? And who was that in the grave we found?"" Kattadhin brought the body of James back to camp so we used Alexander's grave to hide his remains. As for Alexander… We had planned to honour him with a chief's pyre but as his body burned a green glow engulfed the funeral pyre and his body vanished leaving a ball of intense energy in its place." Buffy turns to Pony." And that's what's in the room?" Pony nods and Buffy then asks Willow. " How do you know its Xander?" Willow grins, half heartedly." It's his aura, his essence surrounds you when it talks." Giles asks. " It talked to you?" Willow shrugs and touches her head. " I can hear his voice here. He also conjured up the Kattadhin to reek revenge on those it knows have entrapped us." The meeting is interrupted by the unholy scream of the Kattadhin. Grey Owl tells them." The Sheriff and his men are coming!" Buffy tells him. " You must stop it from killing them! If it does your people will be blamed for their deaths by the authorities that are coming here." Pony touches Buffy's arm. " Maybe he will listen to you Buffy, we have tried to stop its path of destruction but nothing we say, or do, works." Buffy nods and the three women make their way back to the room. Buffy leans against the barrier and places the palm of her hand against it." Xander if you can hear me please let me in! Darling please hear me before its too late." Nothing happened as she made a fist and then beat it against the barrier. " Alexander Lavelle Harris! You open this door and let me in NOW MISTER!"A rip appeared in the green fabric and allowed her to enter, closing up behind her sealing her from the others. She walked up to the centre of the energy field and came face to face with, what to her, looked like a green spiked ball of light. "Xander, honey? Are you there?" She touched the ball and she felt as if she had a severe case of sea sickness then she found herself an a hill of green grass that lay in the middle of a city the likes of which she had never seen. She gazed at the buildings that seemed to blend into the very sky. " WOW! "Xander told her. " Impressive isn't it?" She turned and saw him standing with in arms reach. She grabbed him and almost broke his back with the power of her hug. She snuggled her head into the crook of his neck. " Xander! Never do this to me again." She broke the hug and told him. " The curator of the museum dropped a dime on the bad guys and the FBI are on their way here. You can put your dog back on its leash now Xand." Xander smiled and, gently, tucked an errant lock of her hair back behind her ear." These people that the Kattadhin seeks have held the Shamash as there own personal medical miracles. " Xander moved away from her and looked at the city." This place has many names in many tongues. In the time of the Druids it was called Avalon, the Greeks called it Olympus but the modern world knows of it as Atlantis. This was the home of my people." He holds his head low. " Of which I was the last of it's line here on earth." Buffy jumped at the word 'was'. She placed her hand on his arm and asked. "Xander you will come back to us…to me after this is over." He glanced up at her and the room could be seen where the green globe shone bright. He points to it." That is my essence all that remains when an Anassasi's earthly body dies." Buffy's eyes mist over and a tear rolls down her cheek before she sets her resolve." Right! I'll get Giles to research this and maybe Willow knows a spell…" Xander places a finger to her lips and shakes his head." Buffy when my body died it sent off a resonance in the time and space continuum so my people will be returning for my essence soon." " No! Please, Xander I've only just begun to love again and you are the one I want!" She gripped his hand and held it to her heart." Please stay with me .I don't care what form you take just so long as you're with me. Or I could stay here with you!" He shook his head as he stroked her cheek. " No, Buffy they need you in your world. You are the chosen one remember?" She looks into his eyes." Good! I choose to stay here then." They hear the sound of distant gunfire and Xander tells her. " You must return to your body now. They come and your people will need you. I will do my best to help. Kattadhin will come to your world no more this much I swear." The city, and Xander, begins to shimmer and vanish. " No! Xander please let me stay!"She wakens to Willow's shaking her body. " Oh thank the Goddess! I thought we had lost you too!" Buffy starts to cry. " He's gone Will! He says he will soon be travelling home." Her bottom lip quivered as she told her. " He wouldn't let me stay with him Will he said I was needed here by my people." Willow nodded." He's right Buffy. We need you everyone needs you here. The Sheriff has decided to get rid of all the evidencestarting with the Shamash!" She helps Buffy up." The FBI is in town asking questions and getting more than they bargained for." END OF 10


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